


Let It Snow

by ArtemisRayne



Series: May Look at a King - A Newsies Felisian AU [10]
Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Felisian, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cat/Human Hybrids, Established Relationship, Felisian!Jack, Gift Giving, M/M, More Soft Bois, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Winter, winter fluff, winter holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 08:58:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16869970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisRayne/pseuds/ArtemisRayne
Summary: The first snow of the season creeps up on them in the middle of the night. Davey is cold; Jack is thrilled. But mostly, it gives them an excuse to hide out under the covers together and enjoy their time before winter break begins.





	Let It Snow

As he shuffles out of his morning Spanish lecture, Davey glances out over the white landscape and wraps his coat tighter against his body. The winter storm snuck up on them in the middle of the night and hasn't stopped yet, blanketing campus in several inches of heavy, wet snow. The students who've braved the weather for their early classes are all bundled up, trudging through ankle-deep drifts with their heads bowed against the cold.

Davey burrows his hands into his pockets and starts the trek back to his dorm building. He's got a gap before his next lecture, and he's looking forward to dry jeans and wooly socks in the meantime. Shoulders hunched up against the wind, Davey is only a few feet from the front of the building when something collides with his back, sending a spray of ice cold up the back of his neck. Davey yelps, immediately reaching to brush the snow off, but the movement is interrupted when arms wrap around his waist and momentum sends them both tumbling into a snowdrift off the edge of the sidewalk.

" _Gah_ , what the hell!" Davey protests, wriggling loose in an attempt to get away from the icy moisture seeping into his clothes. The raucous laugh he gets in response makes him huff, and Davey scrambles upright, dusting snow from his jeans as he glares down at the felisian sitting in the snow. "Jack, it's freezing!"

Jack beams, fluttering his ears to dislodge the snowflakes caught in the fur. "It's snowing!"

"I know, and it's _freezing_ ," Davey reiterates. There are sodden patches all the way up his one leg, and he can feel the frigid bite of damp fabric beneath his coat where the snow snuck in and melted. He shivers and pulls his coat around him again.

"Oh c'mon, Dave," Jack says with fond exasperation. The felisian's tail is sweeping little waves into the snow in his excitement, clearing a tiny valley around the whip of dark fur. "First snow, ya gotta be at least a li'l excited 'bout that."

"I'll be more excited about it when I can look at it from _inside_ ," Davey responds, but he can't fight back a smile at Jack's enthusiasm. "Preferably in dry socks."

Jack snorts. "Grump," he teases as he finally extracts himself from the pile of snow. Standing up, he brushes the snow from his clothes and his tail flicks sharply to shake loose the clumps stuck in the dense fur. With that done, the felisian coils his arms around Davey's waist and bumps his cold nose against Davey's affectionately. "In that case, you want some help warmin' up?"

"You owe me as much since you're the reason I'm so damn cold now," Davey answers with a grin. Jack's smile is playful and dangerous, a flash of too-sharp teeth before he leans in to kiss Davey. "Seriously, you're worse than a little kid sometimes," Davey rebuts, but he knows that there's too much warmth in his tone to make it sound even remotely like a complaint.

"Ain't nothing wrong with bein' able to enjoy the li'l things in life," the felisian counters with a shrug. He drops his arms to hold out a hand expectantly, and Davey smiles as he threads his fingers with Jack's, even though his hand is cold and damp. They really both need to get some gloves. "A li'l fun would do ya good," Jack adds, casting a sideways glance at him as they start heading for the dorms. "You're stressin' yourself out again."

"Finals are two weeks away," Davey reminds him, feeling the same anxious terror flare to life in his gut that he gets every time he thinks about the impending exams. "I feel like a little stress is justified."

Jack clicks his tongue, shaking his head. "Ya said the same thing 'bout midterms, and you fussed yourself sick, and then ya aced everything anyway," he says wryly. "So we're gonna go back to your room and snuggle up in blankets and not worry 'bout homework for a bit."

"Bossy much?" Davey says teasingly. The felisian gives him a look that very clearly expresses his thoughts on the irony of that remark. "Like I ever get any homework done when you're around anyway. You're a terrible distraction."

"Distraction, yeah, but terrible?" Jack raises an eyebrow, smirking. "Dunno, you seem to enjoy it."

"Nuisance," Davey says, but he's laughing. "Absolutely incorrigible nuisance."

" _Adorable_ nuisance," Jack counters.

"Nuisance that threw a _snowball_ at me," Davey argues. Jack doesn't do a good job of masking his laugh at that. "Don't know why I put up with you."

The felisian chuckles and his tail thumps heavily against the back of Davey's leg. "Because I'm adorable?" Jack tries again, a hopeful lilt to his voice. Davey snorts. "Rude. 'Kay, it's gotta be that you got a furry kink then."

Davey can't stop the surprised laugh, slugging Jack in the ribs in retaliation. "Ew, don't make it weird. And there is a huge difference between felisians and furries, so please don't put that image in my head."

"Wouldn't be a first for me," Jack admits with a rueful grin. "There was this girl I knew freshman year, and not to kink-shame or whatever, but she was a freak."

"Ugh, don't tell me stuff like that," Davey protests. "I really don't wanna know that."

Jack laughs, lifting their joined hands to press a soft kiss to the back of Davey's wrist. "A'right, fine, spoilsport," he says playfully. "Well if it ain't that, I dunno why you're stickin' around either."

"The free coffee's nice," Davey says, earning him a mock-indignant shove from the felisian. "And I mean, you're a pretty good kisser."

"Only _pretty_ good?" Jack responds, ears flattening as he pouts.

"Okay, really good," Davey amends, and the felisian beams smugly. Something in Davey's chest flutters nervously, and he licks his lips before finishing, "Or maybe it's because I'm kind of crazy about you."

That manages to make Jack stop short, pivoting on the sidewalk to face Davey properly, and his head cocks the way it does when he's curious. Davey ducks his head shyly, but the felisian's free hand cups his cheek to force him to look up again. The cold has turned Jack's cheeks and nose a bright pink, but his amber eyes are attentive as he searches Davey's face thoughtfully for a second. "Yeah?" he asks, a hint of that tentative self-consciousness he usually masks so well sneaking through.

Davey manages a shaky smile and shrugs, trying to play it off. "Sure, I thought that was sorta obvious by now," he says. "I mean, unle-" The rest of his sentence disappears in a grunt as Jack surges in to capture his mouth. It's a blazing, almost fierce kiss, but the felisian's hand never leaves its spot on Davey's cheek, thumb sweeping tenderly along his cheekbone, and the faintest ripple of a purr hums through Jack's ribs before they break apart.

"Hey, look at that," Jack says, smirking. "Your 'kiss to interrupt' trick works on you too." Davey snorts a laugh, smacking Jack's chest huffily. The felisian's smile softens, and he nudges his forehead lightly against Davey's. "I'm kinda crazy 'bout you too, ya know."

An intense warmth spreads through Davey at the admission, a pleasant tingle in his limbs like static electricity. It's not quite the words he wanted to say, the ones that keep cropping up in the back of his mind when he's not paying attention, but it's a step. Grinning, he starts for the dorms again, tugging impatiently at Jack's hand. "Hurry up, then," he says. "If I remember right, you promised to help me warm up, and I'm very ready for that part now." The felisian immediately falls into step with him, laughing.

The moment the dorm room door closes behind them, Jack's lips are back on Davey's, pulling him close. They clumsily shed layers, frozen fingers stumbling over buttons and zippers as they peel off coats and sweaters. Jack's hand settles onto the curve of Davey's waist, and the taller boy promptly squeaks and recoils from the cold. "How 'm I s'posed to warm my hands up if ya keep runnin' away from me?" Jack teases, reaching for him again.

"No, nope, absolutely not," Davey says, batting him away. He grabs a long-sleeved shirt from the closet, pulling it on, before tossing one of his baggier hoodies at the felisian. "You're not putting those hands on me 'til they're warmed up."

Jack laughs, shaking his head, but he obligingly tugs the hoodie over his head. It's tighter on him, the fabric snug across his shoulders in a way Davey can totally appreciate, and he stuffs his hands in the pocket. "Who knew you was such a baby 'bout the cold?"

"Maybe that'll teach you to not pounce me into the snow then," Davey retorts. He's toed out of his shoes, leaning against the wall for balance as he peels off his damp socks. Exchanging his sodden jeans for sweats, he grabs a pair of thick socks. "And you're not getting into my bed with those wet pants," he adds, glancing at the dark patches in Jack's jeans.

"Like I _ever_ make it into your bed with my pants on," Jack replies with an impish smirk. Davey laughs even as a blush spreads up the back of his neck. The felisian hastily strips out of his socks and jeans before burrowing beneath the heavy quilt on Davey's bed. Snuggling down, Jack grins up at him playfully. "Care to join me?"

Davey digs another pair of socks from the wardrobe drawer. "Not really because I know you're gonna put your freezing feet all over me," he says, chuckling. Still, he crosses the room to sit on the bed, passing over the socks. Jack snorts but accepts them, pulling them on, and then holds up the edge of the blanket. Davey slides under the covers, shivering when Jack promptly molds himself around Davey's side, and he can feel the chilled skin even through his clothes. "Seriously, how long were you out playing in the snow before I got out of class? You are _so cold_ ," Davey whines.

"That's why we's under the blankets, dummy," Jack says, nuzzling against his cheek before pressing a slow, lazy kiss there. He trails a line of them along Davey's jaw and down his neck, and even though Davey shudders at the cold skin of his nose and cheeks, he groans and tilts his head to give Jack better access. Then the felisian settles a hand on Davey's hip, tugging him close so that they're pressed together, and the responding wave of heat in his stomach completely counteracts the cold.

They trade soft, languid kisses, no rush to the movements as they slowly absorb each other's warmth. Jack's tail settles across Davey's hip, and he strokes a hand through the fur, trying to dry the damp patches. "You really shouldn't let your tail get so wet," he chides gently. After years of looking after Les, he knows how much a felisian's tail can affect their body temperature; an extension of the spinal column, the delicate nerves and vertebrae of the tail are only protected by lean muscle and fur, without the added insulation of fats and organs the rest of the spine gets. "No wonders you're freezing, idiot."

Jack shrugs, nipping lightly at the underside of Davey's jaw. "First snow," he says in justification, making Davey laugh. "Can move it if it's buggin' ya."

"Didn't say that," Davey says, twining his fingers into the fur again. He loves the feel of it, thicker to combat the winter chill, and it's soft and sleek beneath his touch. He also loves that Jack doesn't pull his tail away, letting Davey continue to stroke it while the felisian lays hot, open-mouthed kisses along his throat.

"Furry kink," Jack mumbles against his skin, and Davey kicks his ankle in response. The felisian snickers and tangles their legs together. As Davey cards fingers through the dense white fur at the tip of his tail, Jack hums contentedly. "Feels nice. You don't got another class 'til afternoon, right? 'Cause I really don't wanna move now."

Davey laughs. "Don't you have a class in like an hour?" he points out.

"Not an important one," Jack says dismissively, settling his head against Davey's neck. His ears are still damp and chilled where they flutter against the edge of Davey's jaw before Jack tucks them back to his skull. The felisian slips his hands beneath the hem of Davey's shirt, and Davey flinches but doesn't have anywhere to escape to as Jack sets to warming his hands against Davey's stomach.

"Have I mentioned you're a nuisance?" Davey gasps, shivering.

Jack chuckles and glides his palms over Davey's sides, trying to rub warmth into them both. "You might'a mentioned it," he agrees, then tilts to suck at the spot behind Davey's jaw that always turns his knees to jelly. "But I gotta enjoy what time I can get with ya," the felisian adds. "Gonna miss ya when you go home for winter break."

"It's only two weeks," Davey says, but he can't stop himself from fisting his hands in Jack's hoodie to pull him closer. As much as he's looking forward to being home with his family for a little bit, Davey can't deny that he's going to miss Jack during the break. Hell, he missed him even during just the long weekend for Thanksgiving. "You won't even notice. You're gonna be so busy with your family, doing Christmas and all that."

"I'll notice," Jack says with a laugh. "They're noisy but it ain't that much a distraction. And, ya know, family's different than this." He kisses Davey pointedly, pulling his bottom lip between sharp canines, and Davey's shiver has nothing to do with the cold this time.

"Yeah, I'd hope you don't do that with your family," Davey says, a little breathless behind his smile.

Jack barks a laugh, thumping his tail onto Davey's hip. " _Blugh_ , talk about puttin' bad images in your head," he says, sticking out his tongue and giving a theatrical, full-body tremor. "Gross, dude." After a minute of giggles, the felisian's expression turns thoughtful. "So your family don't do Christmas, right?" he asks curiously, and Davey shakes his head. "So whatcha guys gonna do over the break then?"

"Not much, probably," Davey says. "Hanukkah will be over before we even start finals. Mom said something about maybe going up to stay with Grandma Jacobs for a couple days. Probably just going to enjoy being home and not having any homework to worry about."

"D'you even know how to function without stressin' over homework?" Jack teases. Davey flicks the tip of his ear. "That sucks you don't getta be home with your folks for Hanukkah though."

Davey shrugs. "It'd be nice, but it's not really a huge holiday like how you guys do Christmas," he says. "People just make a big deal of it because of Christmas, really, like it's some kinda competition." He snorts, eloquently summing up his opinion on that, and his fingers settle to rubbing circles into Jack's scalp. "I'm actually - well, I mean, Henry invited me - but I guess the Bronfman Center does a Hanukkah lighting for students on campus, and I thought maybe I'd go to that. You know, at least for a night or two."

Jack pulls back slightly so he can meet Davey's gaze, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah? He told me he's been tryna getcha to go to church with him."

Humming, Davey ducks his head uncertainly. "Yeah, he's offered a couple times," he agrees. "I dunno, wasn't really sure about it, and I mean, I'm already busy enough without adding that to my schedule too. But it's Hanukkah so-" He trails off with a half-hearted shrug.

"Nah, it's good," the felisian says, and there's something almost proud in his eyes when Davey glances back up at him. "M'glad you got folks to spend the holiday with. So long as you don't meet some sexy Jewish tomcat that's gonna steal ya from me, course."

Davey laughs, rolling his eyes fondly. "I think you're safe there," he says. "And you know I don't _just_ like felisians, right? You're the first felisian I've even dated." When Jack opens his mouth, Davey hurries to add, "And I swear to God, if you say the words 'furry kink' right now I'm kicking you out."

"Wasn't even thinkin' it," Jack says innocently, the lie given away by the telltale twitch of his left ear. His expression softens when he continues, "But I'm glad youse gonna go with Henry to that. Think it'll be good for ya, I know that stuff's important to ya."

"Honestly, I haven't been to a service in so long, it's a little-" Davey pauses, pursing his lips as he searches for the right words, "not scary, but kind of overwhelming, I guess. I think maybe I've gotten used to being an outsider," he admits with a rueful smile. Sighing, he scoots closer to Jack beneath the covers. "But thank you. For introducing me to Henry and all. He's been really cool about it, and it's kinda nice to have someone to talk about that with. Not that I don't like talking to you about it, I mean, just, Henry gets it a little more, you know?"

Jack chuckles. "Yeah, I don't know a bunch about that stuff," he agrees. "Never been big on the religion thing. Used to go to church when I was a kid, the boys' home made us all go, but I us'lly slept through it." Davey snorts. "Ma's cool 'bout it, though, always said whatever we believed was our own thing and she wasn't gonna make us go to nothin' we didn't wanna."

"But your family's Christian?" Davey asks curiously.

"Some of 'em," the felisian says. "Ma's Protestant, I think, but she don't go to church. Crutchie and Smalls is both Catholic, but Crutch is only one who goes to church and stuff. Smalls gets bored 'cause she don't understand it, and she's no good at holdin' still for long anyway; kid's got endless energy." Jack grins affectionately, the sweet, soft smile he always gets when he talks about his little sister. "But me and Spot don't really do the religion thing, we just do the holidays 'cause that's what everyone else does, ya know?"

Davey hums and nods in understanding. "My best friend growing up was the same way," he says with a laugh. "He was a firm atheist, but he always went completely wild for Christmas. Like, Will Ferrell in that Elf movie. It was funny how excited he got."

"Oh, speakin'a Christmas," Jack says abruptly, and he untangles himself from Davey to sit up. Crawling to the end of the bed, he snatches his coat off the floor and rummages in the pocket. The felisian makes a triumphant noise when he withdraws a little red box, dropping his jacket unceremoniously and scooting back up to settle under the blanket again.

"Jack," Davey protests when the felisian holds the palm-sized box out to him. "We agreed no gifts."

Jack smirks. "I know. Ain't from me," he says, tipping the box to show the top. Someone has written 'From Spot & Race' on the cardboard in an untidy, scrawling hand. "They told me to give it to ya, but I got all excited 'bout the snow and forgot."

Blushing, Davey tentatively accepts the box. "They didn't need to do that," he says. "And I didn't get them anything. I wouldn't even know what to get them and-" Jack chooses that moment to employ the 'kiss to shut him up' technique again, deepening the kiss when Davey makes an exasperated noise of objection. "That's not fair," he complains when Jack finally lets him go, both of them a little breathless.

"You started it," Jack points out with a grin. "Now shaddup and open ya present." His eyes are bright and playful as he watches Davey sit up, and his tail is fidgeting eagerly under the blanket. For all his saying that he wasn't the one to get the gift - and it's definitely not his handwriting on top - it's clear from his smile that Jack at least knows what's inside. Nervous, Davey peels off the strips of cellophane tape and lifts the lid.

Inside, nestled in a bed of bright green tissue paper, is a single brass key.

"What-?" Davey asks, his heart turning over in shock. Then he sees the line of text written on the inside of the box lid, in the same messy handwriting. 'So you don't have to buzz in now. Happy Holidays. S&R' Hand shaking, Davey gingerly picks up the key. "To your apartment?" he asks because this doesn't feel real and he has to be sure that this isn't some crazy fever dream.

Jack nods, and there's just the faintest hint of nerves in the way he's chewing at the corner of his thumb. "Figured youse 'round often enough," he explains. "And Spot says now ya can just come in, so you don't gotta ring the bell and wake him up 'cause it don't look like he's gonna be gettin' off the night shifts any time soon. Ya know, in case I's paintin' and don't hear ya or somethin'."

"Jack, this-" Davey swallows hard, turning the key over in his palm. Licking his lips, he meets Jack's jewel-bright gaze. "And you're okay with this, right?" he says. "I mean, this is sort of a big deal. You sure?"

"Never been surer," the felisian says firmly, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. Then his grin turns a bit mischievous when he adds, "I kinda maybe mentioned it ta' Spot once or twice."

Davey can't stop his laughter. "By which you mean this was really your idea, and you got around the 'no gifts' rule by convincing your brother to put his name on it," he concludes, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Now youse givin' me too much credit," Jack replies, smiling slyly. "I ain't that clever. Just sorta planted the idea. Well, and I had to ask, course, 'cause it's technically his place and all. This," he gestures to the box, "that's all him. 'Cept the crinkle paper stuff; that was Racer. He's nuts for that stuff. Gots it in like a hundred diff'rent colors. S'kinda weird, but then, it's Racer so-" He trails off with a shrug. "Anyway, you don't gotta use it if it makes ya feel weird or anythin', just thought it'd be nice since you come over all the time anyway."

Grinning, Davey grabs his keyring off the bedside table and then sets about adding the new key to the rest. The sight of it, hanging so nondescriptly between his dorm key and the key to his parents' apartment, makes his heart beat faster. "Thank you, Jack," he says. "This is - it's great, it's the best present anyone's ever _not-given_ me."

The felisian laughs, sitting up and winding his arms around Davey's waist. He props his chin on Davey's shoulder, watching the taller boy twist the keyring through his fingers. "Glad ya like it," Jack says. "And I mean, I know how much ya prefer my bed to yours anyway, so I ain't gonna complain if I come home from work and youse sleepin' there or somethin'." As Davey laughs, Jack nuzzles into the juncture of his neck. "Or if youse in my bed _not_ sleepin', that's good too."

"Oh that so, huh?" Davey asks, casting him a knowing grin.

"Mm-hmm. In fact," Jack plucks the keys from Davey's hand, depositing them on the nightstand, and then shifts his weight to straddle Davey's lap, "I's just rememberin' I promised to help you get all warmed up, didn't I?"

"And you've done a terrible job of it so far," Davey agrees, running his hands over Jack's thighs, watching gooseflesh break out over the skin where it's exposed to the air below the hem of his boxers. "I think you warmed yourself up plenty, but I'm feeling a little ignored in the whole thing."

The felisian's responding smile is almost predatory. "Gonna have to make that up to ya," he says in mock seriousness. "Getcha all nice and toasty. But ya know, get warm faster if you ain't got clothes on."

Davey's laugh sticks in his throat when Jack ducks in to nip at his collarbone, tugging the collar of his shirt aside for better access. "Really?"

"Fo'sure," Jack agrees. "It's science. Saw it in a documentary one time." Davey snorts in amusement. The felisian leans in, hands and kisses insistent, pushing until Davey lays down on his back. Crouched over him, Jack slips his hands into the waistband of Davey's sweats. "So we's gonna have to get rid of these clothes if I'mma getcha all warmed up."

"Oh, well if you saw it on tv, it must be true," Davey replies dryly, and the rest of his laughter is smothered when the felisian recaptures his mouth.


End file.
